Conservation and Urban Design Officer

Job Introduction

Conservation and Urban Design Officer (Career Grade) PO3

2 x Permanent Posts

Salary range: £45,750 to £49,056 (inclusive of London Weighting)

The role

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is undergoing a period of substantial change and growth. With one of the highest housing targets in London and Opportunity Areas identified for transformational change in Woolwich, Charlton Riverside and Thamesmead. This is an exceptional opportunity to influence change in a key part of London.

Working within the Place Shaping Unit within the Plan Making and Place Shaping Team, you will play a key role in preserving the unique heritage of the Royal Borough and ensuring that proposed development in Royal Greenwich is sustainable, inclusive, well designed and effectively tailored to its places and local needs.

You will play an essential role in the preparation of planning documents, such as design codes and guidance, conservation area appraisals, Article 4 Directions and the local heritage list. 

You will also lead on initiatives to facilitate removal of assets from the Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register and contribute to the preparation of the Council’s new Local Plan.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing specialist advice on all aspects of conservation and urban design including recommendations on applications and pre-applications for major developments, listed building consents and planning permissions involving conservation and design issues.
• Leading on conservation, listed building and other related projects and programmes,  including heritage assets currently on the Heritage at Risk Register.
• Preparing and giving evidence at public inquiries and appeals as required on heritage, conservation and urban design issues.
• Contributing to the preparation and review of conservation and design related policies and guidance, including conservation area appraisals and design codes.
• Contributing to the conservation and historic buildings aspects of the preparation and review of the Local Plan and other policy documents.
• Supporting the Place Shaping Manager across varied workstreams.
• Managing your own caseload comprising concurrent projects and responsibilities, working independently and as part of a team.

Alongside this, you will play an active role in working with colleagues across the Council to champion high quality design across the Royal Borough. 

About you

We are looking for two talented individuals who are keen to progress in their career as urban design and conservation experts, and eager to tackle a wide remit of planning issues. It is an exciting time to join the recently expanded Place Shaping Unit, as we are currently producing our new Local Plan and expect to begin work on further design-and conservation-related supplementary plans and design codes. We are looking for someone willing to embrace the challenge of improving the built environment and promoting positive change.

The post requires an appropriate qualification in urban design, architecture or related discipline, and you will need to demonstrate your ability to analyse and present information clearly and effectively, complemented by a good understanding of current legislation, policy, guidance, and best practice in a London context.

Good communication skills and the ability to respond confidently in a variety of situations are essential. You should be effective at working in a team to tight deadlines. Starting salary will be dependent on experience.

About us

Based in the heart of Woolwich with its excellent transport connections to central London, the Royal Borough of Greenwich is an exciting place to work. From the spectacular World Heritage Site at Maritime Greenwich to the vibrant and diverse communities in Woolwich, Charlton, Thamesmead and Eltham, via the O2 Arena, the Royal Borough is home to some unique places.

As a Council we want to develop our services and improve the lives of our residents by focussing our actions and resources on the things that matter to the residents of Royal Greenwich and continuously improve the Royal Borough as a place. Our missions aim to ensure that:

• People in Greenwich have access to a safe and secure home that meets their needs 
• It is easier, safer and greener to move around the borough and the rest of London 
• Development delivers positive change to an area for existing and new communities 
• Neighbourhoods are vibrant, safe and attractive with community services that meet the needs of local residents 
• Greenwich plays an active role in tackling the climate crisis and improving environmental sustainability, in line with our commitment of being carbon neutral by 2030

Our Royal Greenwich Staff Values underpin the work we do:  

• Improving residents’ lives and opportunities 
• Demonstrating respect and fairness 
• Taking ownership 
• Doing things better 
• Working together across the Council

We offer great benefits: 

In return for your hard work, we offer a range of benefits:  

• Annual Season Ticket Loan 
• Childcare Voucher Scheme 
• Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential, including excellent apprenticeship opportunities at all levels        
• Reduced rate Gym Membership 
• Eyecare Vouchers 
• Cycle to Work scheme 
• Long Service Awards 
• Generous Annual Leave entitlement 
• Excellent Pension Scheme 
• The Greenwich Card which entitles you to discounts at local businesses 
• Employee Assistance Scheme including external counselling service 
• A range of flexible working arrangements   
• Staff networks

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact:

Francesco Bernabei, Place Shaping Manager

francesco.bernabei@royalgreenwich.gov.uk 

Diversity Statement: Royal Borough of Greenwich values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. We therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Advert Close: All vacancies close at midnight unless otherwise stated. 

Early Advert Close: Royal Borough of Greenwich reserves the right to close any job advert earlier than the advertised closing date where there is reason to do so (for example high volume of applications).

How Applications are Scored: Each application is scored according to how well the supporting statements addresses each point on the Person Specification for the role. Candidates will be short-listed for interview on the extent to which they meet the specific points within the Person Specification. The Person Specification is supplied with the job advert. When completing your application, please use the supporting statements section to tell us how you meet each of the points on the Person Specification. We need to have this information in order to consider your application.

Salary: Salaries advertised are for a standard working week of 35 hours unless otherwise stated. Please use this 'Salary Calculator to help you calculate a pro rata salary.

Our Staff Values: Our Staff Values are important to us. Candidates will be continuously assessed against our staff values throughout the recruitment process. Where candidates demonstrate views and behaviours that do not meet the standards of our staff values, we reserve the right to reject their application/ registration.